'School of the future' set to put Gillespie's in a class of its own

A PROPOSED new Edinburgh school will be the first in Scotland to be built around a new curriculum.

Billed as the "school of the future", the rebuilt James Gillespie's High School will include areas for drama, art and gardening, and is a clear move away from the typical classroom.

Informal cafes, areas for reflection and "breakout spaces" will also be featured in the building, which is the first under a new Scottish Government programme, and due for completion in 2015.

The council said the school was planned to bring in aspects of the Curriculum for Excellence, which encourages schools to teach across subjects by mixing areas such as maths and history.

It is based on modern university campuses in Scotland, with images showing ponds, allotment patches and even an outdoor performance area.

The city's education leader Councillor Marilyne MacLaren said: "With this project, we are rewriting the rulebook in terms of school design in Scotland.

"While the budget is the same as that of a school built from a standard template, Gillespie's will be developed imaginatively around the principles of the Curriculum for Excellence.

"We've started from scratch with big aspirations, and we're confident we'll see truly inspirational learning spaces as a result."Healthy food features strongly in the proposal, while beanbags replace chairs in the library and there is a heavy emphasis on comfort throughout the school.

James Gillespie's headteacher Alex Wallace said the revolutionary designs reflected a change in education.

He added: "I don't mean any disrespect to new schools, but they tend to be better version of the same thing and there's nothing radically different."

The current James Gillespie's has been dogged by numerous problems in recent years relating to the condition of the ageing building, and was long ago deemed "not fit for purpose".

It is expected millions of pounds will still have to be spent on patch up jobs ahead of the rebuild.

Problems with collapsing ceilings and heating problems have been commonplace in the past few years.